talesofbastionfandomcom-20200213-history
Fire Magic
'Fire Magic Overview' Fire Magic is a subschool of Elemental Magic. As the name implies, it involves the invocation of fire spirits to produce light and fire-based effects. Beginner efforts tend to cover common-use spells that light lamps, campfires, stoves, and the occasional mugger on fire, but of course more experienced casters become more powerful, more flexible, and consequently much more dangerous. Of all the subschools of Elemental Magic, Fire Magic is the most popular (if not the most widely used or even the most useful) and it isn't difficult to tell why - few things are as spectacular or terrifying as a powerful fire mage showing off. 'Fire Magic Mechanics' The Fire Magic advantage costs 4 AP per rank, as it has Low Utility and is useable at Short, Medium, and Long Range in combat. Rank I: A mage with one rank of Fire Magic has learned the basics of calling upon fire spirits, and can do things like set fire to easily flammable substances such as paper, kindling, oil, etc. Burning treated wood is harder than one would think, but creating the kind of sustained flame that will set fire to a structure is not impossible, it just takes a bit. In combat, a Fire Mage of this ability can generally set an opponent ablaze, but there isn't anything special about the flame - it can be put out like any other kind of fire. Also, as it tends to originate with the caster, it can be dodged. It can also get out of control - really, a neophyte Fire Mage is his or her own worst enemy. Rank II: A mage with two ranks of Fire Magic can be considered a professional Fire Mage, capable of creating larger, faster, hotter blasts of flame that can be sustained longer. This fire'' is'' hotter than normal flame and can burn opponents who merely happened to be near the blast. More importantly, Fire Mages of this level of ability rarely, if ever, burn themselves and have begun to learn how to defend themselves against similar attacks. Those who have obtained this level of ability through study of Elemental Magic have even greater control, though the differences at this point are largely cosmetic. Rank III: A mage with three ranks of Fire Magic is a sight to behold, capable of calling up gouts of flame and applying it more creatively to twist and warp the environment in unexpected ways. The Fire Mage can likely call up intense flames quickly and wherever he or she pleases, with little need for arcane invocations or fancy gestures. Such a mage can likely reduce a city block to ashes in an afternoon if left unchecked. Rank IV: A mage with four ranks of Fire Magic has truly mastered the elemental forces of fire. A roaring, unquenchable inferno is never too far away save in the depths of the ocean or a mystical void. Fire called into existence by a mage of this ability can melt through stone and steel alike with time, and anything remotely flammable will burn quickly when touched by the mage's flame. The great control established at three ranks expands even further, and the mage is more than capable of wreathing himself in fire without getting burned, or even writing text in fire which will linger for hours but never spread. Rank V+: A mage with five or more ranks of Fire Magic almost certainly either has used principles gleaned from other elemental disciplines to reach this point or else has spiritual assistance from an outside source, such as godhood. Either way, such a mage can be considered to represent an entire division of powerful siege weaponry in their own right, capable of reducing even an army to charred skeletons unless opposed by special or mystical forces. The Fire Mage's power has grown to such a degree that they have little to fear from attacks of a similar nature, and little is safe from the raging firestorm that the mage in question can unleash at a moment's notice. 'Common Fire Magic Spells' While every Fire Mage has his or her own style and probably a few custom spells (and of course Elemental Mages tend to make up spells on the spot), the following are all common-use variants on spells for fire manipulation and are available to anyone with the Fire Magic advantage. *Ignite - Sets flammable objects on fire. As the caster's power increases, the definition of "flammable" broadens. *Torch - A small, easily maintained and controlled sphere of fire provides light where needed. *Flash - The more dangerous version of Torch, Flash dazzles the eyesight of opponents. Extremely powerful Fire Mages have been known to permanently blind their foes. *Scorch - A jet of flame is projected from the caster toward whatever unlucky target happens to be in the way. *Fireball - A classic. The caster hurls a ball of fire toward a target, which proceeds until reaching a predefined point or an obstacle, at which point it explodes. More powerful casters can draw on Wind Magic principles to put some force into the explosion. *Heat - Actually a subdued version of Ignite. Heat makes a given surface or object hotter intrinsically, without setting fire to it. *Firewall - Another classic. A wall of fire springs up wherever the caster pleases. Few care to go through such an obstacle, and even fewer survive the experience. *Shaped Fire - typically only used by professionals, this spell crafts an ongoing blaze into the shape desired by the caster, whatever that may be. This spell is also used to extinguish undesired flames or defend the caster from fire-based attacks. 'Rare Fire Magic Spells' The following spells are sometimes known to Fire Mages, but are not included by default and require a separate advantage. *Rhapsody of Fire - The caster is capable of dazzling, fascinating, or even disorienting audiences and targets with fancy, flashy, and colorful light and fire effects. *Fire Shield - The caster has a special degree of control over the fire, allowing it to protect him from close-ranged attacks by aggressively burning anyone and anything trying to get to close. *The Burning Man - The caster manages to fully invoke a spirit of Elemental Fire, of a size and power dependent on the caster's ability. *Pyroclastic Surge - The caster sears and scorches the surroundings in such a way as to fill the air with poisonous vapors. *The Best Defense - The caster can call up Fireballs rapidly enough to use them to screen away attacks coming from long range by destroying projectiles and disrupting incoming spells.